Before Destiny
by RK Ryune
Summary: The story of Sora, Kairi and Riku's parents on the Destiny Islands before darkness and keyblades, and what life after the restoration of the Islands was like while Sora and Riku were away.
1. Sora's Father, Stern

Uh, wow. Let's see if I remember how to do this fan fiction thing. It has been a while, at least nine months since I wrote fiction for fun. And this marks my first Kingdom Hearts fic. I intended to stay away from the horrors that KH fanfic can be, but this plunnie started gnawing on my toes, and well… sometimes you just gotta submit to the plot bunnies.

That being said, I give you:

**Before Destiny**

He had admired everything about her since the day they met in primary school. It was true that the first day of primary school was the first time many of the children scattered around Destiny Islands met other children their same age. Stern had been no different. His father was a fisherman and his mother stayed in their little house near the shore, caring for him and his baby sister. Stern knew he would become a fisherman, like his father, like his grandfather. It was the way of the islanders. Their world was peaceful, like it had been for as long as anyone could remember.

The day Stern met Ciela, she had called him "smelly-head" and promptly thrown her blue crayon at his face when he proffered her a gift – a star-crab he had found under a rock during recess. The other boys laughed at the blue streak his light-colored left eyebrow had borne the rest of the day. Stern, at the tender age of six, hadn't minded. He was in love. And ten years later, at 16, he was still in love.

Ciela had grown into a beautiful young woman as they had grown into friendship. Stern always felt that when he was near Ciela, he was as calm as the waves that lapped on the shore of the tiny, southern island the children would play on. Of course, as they were almost out of high school, it wouldn't be long before Stern would have to take up the wheel of his own fishing boat and join the other men in sustaining their economy. Ciela would talk of teaching, once she had finished high school.

When she would talk, he would listen, observing how she smiled as if she had no cares in the world. If she seemed sad, Stern would pull some kind of antic, clowning until he eked a smile out of her. He always liked the way her grey eyes lit up as she spoke animatedly about ideas, theories. "What if there are other worlds out there, Stern?" she would say, gesturing at the sky, sunlight glancing off her brown hair. He would always shrug. Sure, it was interesting to think about, but his life was here, on the islands.

The day Stern turned 17, he decided he wanted to ask Ciela to marry him. He cornered his closest friend, Masse, a day later and spilled everything. His feelings for Ciela, how long he had loved her, his plans for one or two kids, a little house by the sea, and spending his days on the ocean and his nights with Ciela by his side.

Masse grinned and ruffled Stern's light brown hair, causing it to spike and tuft. It had never been tidy anyway, but Stern grumbled at his (taller, to his chagrin) best friend. Mirth shone in Masse's green eyes as he tucked a strand of silver hair behind his ear. "So, you came running to me for advice, huh? How do you plan on proposing? Not with a star-crab, I hope."

Stern punched him in the arm. "Don't be stupid. I was planning on doing it somewhere special… asking her to marry me, I mean." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, chuckling with embarrassment.

"Hey Stern," Masse said, leaning in. "You ever hear of paopu fruit?"

Stern gaped. "Isn't that just a legend?"

Masse smiled slyly, and then pulled a star-shaped fruit out from behind his back. "Not anymore!"

Stern stared at the fruit, opening and closing his mouth in surprise. "Wha… where did you find it? Can I have it?" He reached for the paopu, but not before Masse could pull it away from him and hold it out of reach above his head.

"No way, get your own. This one is for someone special."

Now it was Stern's turn to tease. "Awww, who is she?"

Masse turned pink, and then turned away. " 's none your business," he mumbled.

Stern prodded Masse with an angular elbow. "C'mon, you can tell your best friend… ooh, I bet I know! It's Ulaya, isn't it? You've had your eye on her since we were 13."

Masse's silence and reddening skin were all Stern needed to know to confirm that he was right.

"So, you gonna tell me where this tree is, or not?" Stern asked, breaking the awkward silence. And after he had gotten directions from Masse, he set off for a run towards Ciela's house.

Later that night, at sunset, Stern led Ciela over the rocky northern shore of the kid's island. They climbed through the tree house that had been there for ages, and finally reached a promontory on the southernmost tip of the island.

Stern turned to Ciela, grinning broadly. "Ready for some fun?"

"Stern, what are doing?" she asked in reply, confused. His only response was to take her hand and lead her into the ocean, towards an outcropping of rock about 20 feet from the shore.

"I have something to show you," he said as they waded into the water.

They finally reached the tall stack of rock, and began to climb. As they neared the top, Stern saw that the top of the outcropping was flat, and sandy. He scrambled onto the flat surface, and helped Ciela up. And, just as Masse had said, there was a tree covered in star-shaped fruit, conveniently curved so that it almost formed a seat.

Ciela gasped as she took in her surroundings. "Stern, it's… its beautiful! Are we going to watch the sunset?"

"Yeah," he said, smiling again and helping her onto the branch, so that they were facing the setting sun. As dusk's light made their shadows longer, Stern heaved a sigh, steeled himself, and faced Ciela.

"Ciela?" he asked softly, face heating up as she turned to him, giving him a curious look. "Do you remember that story we heard in primary school? About paopu fruit?"

Ciela laughed. "Of course I remember. A long time ago, a young fisherman got lost in a storm. When the storm calmed, he washed up on the shore of a tiny island, with no one in sight, and no food. He waited for days, trying to catch fish, or find mushrooms, but nothing ever came. Finally, just when he was about to lose hope, he saw a young woman approach him. She took him back to her village, and nursed him back to health. The people in the village built him a raft so he could return home, but in the time he was there, he fell in love with the young woman."

"Finally, it was time for him to go. When she realized he was leaving, she took him a paopu fruit and gave him half. As he ate it, she cast a magic spell that forever entwined their destinies, and then ate her half. He thought he'd never see her again, but once he returned home, the girl was all he could think about. He was about to go back to that lonely island, when he saw her standing on the shore. 'No matter where we are, our destinies are meant to be shared,' she told him. And then they were married."

Ciela took a deep breath. "And why did you want to hear that fairy tale?"

Stern blushed. "Well, they say that if two people share paopu fruit, their destinies are forever entwined, right?"

"Of course, but everyone knows that paopu fruit don't –"Ciela was cut off as Stern shoved a yellow star-shaped fruit under her nose. She gaped at it, and then turned her gaze to Stern, who was blushing furiously. "Stern…" she said, voice almost a whisper.

"Ciela, I love you," Stern blurted. "Will you please share your destiny with me?"

Ciela hesitated for only a moment before smothering Stern with all the love and kisses she knew how to give. As the sun finally sank below the horizon, Ciela broke their passionate kiss, and took the fruit, breaking it in half gently. She handed one half to Stern, and before she could take a bite of her own half, Stern popped the one she had given to him in her mouth.

"It feels more right this way," he explained, blue eyes twinkling as the moon rose.

Ciela nodded, understanding, and popped the half in her hand into Stern's mouth.

They spent the rest of the night perched on the crooked trunk of the paopu tree, watching the stars, and talking about the rest of their destiny together.

--

Okay, now for an explanation. I wanted to write a fic about the Destiny Island Trio's parents: how they met, how they fell in love, what having Sora, Riku and Kairi was like, and how they felt while the three were off saving the Worlds.

One chapter for each parent, and a conclusion, I think will suffice.

Aww, Sora's parents get squishiness. And hey, I like reviews and concrit. Feel free to slather me with both.


	2. Riku's Father, Masse

Low response for chapter 1, but I remembered that I write fanfiction for me, not for the reviews.

Chapter 2!

Masse stood on the shore, watching as his best friend Stern finally wooed and won Ciela, smiling to himself. He was glad the Stern had finally gotten up enough courage to, well, ask Ciela to marry him. He admired his friend for that, and wondered if he himself could do the same.

Masse had met Ulaya in the third grade, at age 9. His teacher had introduced her to the class, a shy girl with light blonde hair and hazel eyes, clutching her bag to her chest shyly as she took in the new faces. He had felt blush creeping into his cheeks, which was quickly squelched by an eraser thrown at his head by Stern, who was snickering to himself at the prank. Masse promised himself he'd get Stern for that later, but right now, since it was lunch time, it was his duty to show the pretty new girl around. Even if she did have cooties.

Now that they were almost out of school, it was time to start a life of his own. He and his father were still constructing the house he would live in, on a smaller, less-populated island less than a mile from the main island that housed the school and market. He already had his own boat. And Masse calculated that, as his industry grew, so would his house and boat. He wanted nothing more than to retire comfortably, with sons to support him and daughters to care for him… and with Ulaya by his side.

Their friendship had been tenuous after that first day. How was he supposed to know that there were spiders in that bunch of flowers he gave her? But as they grew older, and Ulaya had befriended Ciela, Masse and Ulaya found themselves in love. Their love wasn't the friendly kind of love that Stern and Ciela shared. It was different. More complex. Masse couldn't articulate it, exactly, but he knew it was just as special as Stern's for Ciela.

He was sure she'd say yes. After all, the night before wasn't the first time they'd made love in the boat house behind her father's fishery. As the sun sank below the horizon and Masse watched Stern and Ciela doing nothing more than cuddling and talking, he realized that he didn't want to be one-upped by his best friend.

Masse knew Ulaya had never said the word "yes" to his proposal, but the fairly _passionate_ sex they'd had afterward felt to him that she rather liked the idea. Finally, once they were both spent, laying breathless beside each other, Ulaya snuggled closer to Masse and whispered in his ear "I love you" for the first time.

Once Ulaya's father found out she was pregnant, the wedding had to happen quickly, lest rumors spread, as they would on a small archipelago with only a few villages. And so, within the year after graduation, Masse found himself in his small cottage, with a wife and a son on the way.

At least, he _hoped_ it was a son. Daughters would be fine too, he supposed.

Finally, after returning with a less-than-satisfying catch and drenched from the storm that had just begun, Ulaya gripped Masse's arm as he entered the door.

"The baby," she gasped, wide-eyed. "He's coming!"

Masse dropped the nets he was carrying, green eyes widening in surprise. "Now?" he squeaked out, all of a sudden feeling very unconfident and unsure of what to do. Sure, he had planned on kids and lots of them, but the details hadn't exactly fallen in place.

"Hurry!" cried Ulaya, pushing him weakly out the door. "Get the midwife!"

Masse gulped in shock as a small puddle of water splashed onto the ground at Ulaya's feet. He had watched his sister be born, and remembered that water meant the baby was coming VERY soon. He took one last look at Ulaya, told her he loved her, and ran like hell.

The midwife was the next island over. Masse didn't even bother taking his boat.

The midwife, a graying woman in her50s who was just exiting her house to take her dog for a walk, was quite surprised to see a young man with silver hair come running up her front walk, dripping wet and out of breath.

"My wife," Masse gasped, "her baby…"

This was not the first time the midwife had seen a young husband about to gain a child. She understood the urgency, patted her dog, and went inside to get her bag.

As they boated over to the island Masse lived on, she turned a quizzical eye to Masse. "And why, young man, are you soaking wet?"

Masse turned pink. "I… I was in such a rush to get here, I swam."

Ulaya heard the roar of laughter as the midwife entered the house. "I assume you must be this man's wife. You, my dear, have a very devoted husband."

She smiled weakly, and then grimaced as another contraction shook her body.

"We haven't much time," the midwife said to no-one in particular. She waved a hand at Masse. "Go get some water and towels. And for goodness sake, stop pacing like that!"

After several hours of pacing, scolding, and screaming courtesy of birthing pains, the baby finally popped out. Masse had to brace himself to keep from passing out.

Childbirth, he concluded, was actually pretty damn gross.

Ulaya lay exhausted on the pallet the midwife had set up for her on the floor, blonde hair sticking to her forehead with sweat. A loud squall pierced the air as Masse and Ulaya's child inhaled its first breath. The midwife handed the still-sticky baby to Masse, who wrinkled his nose in disgust – his child was still _slimy_. She then busied herself with the final bit of the birthing process, removing the placenta and cutting the umbilical cord.

Once the umbilical cord was cut, the midwife gave Masse a stern look. Tradition dictated that the father wash the birth fluids off his child in the ocean. And so Masse took his baby – his first son – down to the shore, and submerged him in the waves.

The boy kicked furiously as he was plunged in the cold water, and screamed as Masse lifted him out again, wiping away the grime. He glanced back up at the midwife standing in the door of his cottage, who beckoned him to come back inside. Tradition had been satisfied – the boy would grow up able-bodied and intelligent, as he had now been blessed by the sea.

The midwife cleaned off the remaining placental goo and salt-water, then clucked and cooed at the boy as she handed him to Ulaya. "Congratulations on your first son," she said warmly to the new parents. The baby blinked his green eyes at his mother and father, and then fell asleep curled in Ulaya's arms.

"He looks just like you," she said to Masse. Masse chuckled to himself, fatherly pride welling in his chest. He was a father now. His wife was holding his son. The wonder of it all had left him speechless.

The midwife allowed Ulaya and Masse some time to enjoy their child before clearing her throat. "He'll be needing a name," she reminded them, nudging the Birth Register toward Masse.

"Riku," Masse said without hesitation. Masse had spent hours at sea, waiting for his catch and deliberating over what he would name his children. Riku, he decided, was a strong name. It held promise of a boy that would become a man who would support his friends and remain as steady as a mountain. Masse nodded, and then wrote the name in the Birth Register.

"A fine name," said the midwife. She nodded, and then headed out the door. "I'll come by later to collect payment."

Masse nodded, and then turned once again to his wife and son, who were both sleeping off the long task they had both completed. "I love you, Ulaya," he said, kissing her forehead as he lay down beside her. "And I love you as well, Riku."

The three of them slept on the floor, Riku cradled in his parents' arms, for the remainder of the day.


	3. Sora's Mother, Ciela

Surprisingly, I've had enough inspiration to keep writing this. The ideas, they just keep coming. Yay.

Chapter 3

By the soft glow of the newly installed electric lights, Ulaya sat drinking juice with her long-time friend, Ciela. Her son, Riku, now nearing his first birthday, lay on a nearby blanket, alternately chewing on his fists and attempting to remove his diaper. Ciela and Stern had been happily married for ten months now, and Ulaya knew that Riku would soon have a friend and playmate, if Ciela's swollen belly was any sign.

Ciela let out a happy sigh as she swallowed the last of her juice, smiling down at her pregnant stomach, where her child was growing. She had no idea if the coming baby was a boy or a girl, but it didn't matter. Ciela would lay awake at night, feeling the baby move and dreaming about the coming months. She let her thoughts flicker over the birth itself, and then lingered on dreams of it growing up and the great things it would do once grown. She would smile in anticipation of the day she would stand and say proudly to the other women on the island, "that one is mine."

Rubbing a contemplative hand over the swell of her tummy, Ciela looked up at Ulaya as the blonde woman spoke. "I hear Jecht's wife just had a son," said Ulaya, holding her glass and staring off into space. Ciela sighed in pity at the remorseful note in her friend's voice. Shortly after Riku's birth, Ulaya had fallen down. She recovered just fine, but the doctor had said Ulaya's uterus had been damaged, and that having any more children would prove fatal. Ciela knew that Masse and Ulaya's dreams of a large family had been crushed with that news, but they at least had Riku. Such was life.

Ciela was abruptly jerked out of her thoughts by a sharp kick, courtesy of the baby in her own womb. "Ulaya," she gasped, in awe. "It's kicking!" Ciela never got used to the sensation of a tiny person inside of her. Ulaya's head snapped up in attention, hazel eyes widening.

She reached out hesitantly. "Can I feel?"

Ciela laughed merrily and scooted closer so that Ulaya could place a hand on her stomach. A moment passed, and then another tiny yet powerful kick sent Ulaya into pleased cooing. It was almost as if the two friends were back in school, squealing over boys instead of babies.

An indignant squawk from the floor caught their attention. "I think Riku's jealous," whispered Ulaya, stifling a giggle.

"Would you like to feel the baby, Riku?" asked Ciela, with mock seriousness in her voice, smiling at the silver-haired baby on the floor. Riku replied by blowing a spit bubble at her.

Ulaya laughed and hefted her son up onto her lap, guiding his hand to rest on Ciela's stomach. The baby responded almost immediately with a rather powerful kick. Riku's eyes widened in wonder, and he glanced at his mother. Another kick, and Riku flailed his chubby little arms happily and squealed with infantile delight. He replaced his hands, and waited for another kick, laughing with joy at each new movement. Soon, the two women were laughing as well, joining in his delight.

Finally, Riku began to droop, becoming sleepy. Ulaya sighed, and lifted her son onto her shoulder, patting him gently to lull him to sleep. Ciela looked out of the window at the sun setting over the ocean. "I wonder when they'll be back," she sighed, referring to their husbands, still at sea, fishing.

"Soon, hopefully," replied her friend, gently rocking the now sleeping Riku.

Ciela chewed thoughtfully on a hangnail. There was a calm silence for several minutes, broken only once by a sigh as Riku shifted while he dreamed.

Ulaya finally spoke. "What do you plan on naming yours?" she asked, nodding towards Ciela's belly.

Ciela took her thumb out of her mouth, blinking at Ulaya. "Oh, uh… I'm not sure…"

Ulaya closed her eyes. "What about Mar?" she suggested. "After the sea?"

Ciela wrinkled her nose. "What if it's a girl? And besides, Stern is dead-set on keeping with family tradition and naming our child after the heavens."

"Then what about after the moon, something like Luna, or Yue, if she's a girl?"

"Boring," said Ciela with a dismissive eye-roll.

Ulaya chuckled at Ciela's stubbornness. "Then maybe after the sun? You could give your child a bright and cheerful name…"

"No, Jecht's son is already named Tidus. I'd feel like I was copying."

Ulaya frowned. "You're being difficult."

Ciela returned to chewing on her hangnail. "I," she started, "I wanna name it after the sky."

Ulaya's thin eyebrows shot up, surprised. "The sky?"

"Why not?"

"You know what they say. What if you have a boy?"

Ciela frowned as well. "Oh don't tell me you believe in that old wives' tale. I was named after the sky, and I'm perfectly fine."

"I just worry," said Ulaya hesitantly. "You daydream so much, and if you have a son and name him for the sky, I'm just worried that he'll leave you forever because he won't be grounded…" she trailed off and looked away.

A faint smile flickered across Ciela's face. "You've forgotten the rest.

_When the sky follows the wind and leaves,  
the land will ground him and return him home,_

_with the sea to unite them and guide their way."_

Ulaya gave Ciela a quizzical look. "Are you suggesting Riku—"

A loud whoop from outside cut her off, and the weather-beaten, blue eyed face of Stern came through the door. "Come see!" he called happily.

Ulaya glared at him as Riku stirred. She shushed him, and Stern's eyes widened. He clamped his hands over his mouth and mumbled "Sorry!" in a loud whisper. He then gestured for them to follow him outside.

On the shore, Masse was struggling with a gargantuan load of fish, attempting to unload it from the boat he and Stern shared. Ulaya quickly handed Riku to Ciela, and rushed to assist her husband. Stern beamed proudly as he stood by Ciela's side. "We're gonna eat like royalty after we sell this!" he declared, folding his hands behind his head and grinning.

"Not if you don't get up here and help!" snapped Masse, right before a large pile of Striped Tangos fell on him. Stern laughed at the spluttering man fighting his way out of still-flopping fish and ran to help. "Stay here," he said to his wife, planting a kiss on her forehead. Ciela shook her head at the men's antics, and went back inside. Caring for the babies would be the best way she could help, as her 9-months-swollen stomach would only hinder the others.

Once the pile had been unloaded and the boat docked at the Main Island near Stern and Ciela's house, the young couple sat in their kitchen gutting and cleaning their half of the haul for Market tomorrow. Stern frowned slightly as he struggled to slit the belly of an enormous Blue Sakan. Sakan's were known for their iron-hard scales, and Stern was having quite a bit of trouble. "We saw some strange fish while out today," he said, wriggling his knife under a scale and hacking it off.

"Did you try to catch any?" said Ciela in return, deftly boning a smaller harpfish for their dinner.

"No, these were different from normal fish. They…" he glanced around, as if he thought they might be overheard. "They were all black and had these weird feelers and yellow eyes. They were kinda scary." He swore softly as the knife slipped and nicked his thumb. "Masse and I high-tailed it out of there, as fast as we could."

Stern finally got the fish's underbelly open. "I hate Blue Sakans, they're so hard to clean."

"I wonder where the weird black fish came from," pondered Ciela, beginning to daydream.

"No idea," said Stern as he worked on removing the fish's internal organs. He paused. "Huh, that's weird."

"What?"

"This fish swallowed something metallic. You can hear it jingle if you poke its stomach." He skillfully slit open the stomach sac, careful not to let the juices and acids spill onto the clean flesh. He then dunked the find into a nearby bucket of water, and held it aloft. "Would you look at that…"

A silver chain dangled from his fingers, reflecting the dim glow of the electric lights. A crown-shaped pendant at the bottom reflected his blue eyes and stunned expression. "It's beautiful," sighed Ciela, leaning closer for a better look. And suddenly, the baby kicked. HARD. "Stern," she squeaked. The baby was kicking harder. And harder. Finally, the kicking stopped altogether and her womb simply just HURT.

"What wrong?" he asked, dropping the necklace and rushing to her side.

"The baby," she stammered.

Stern's eyes snapped open, wide as dinner plates, as he realized the implications of what Ciela meant. "Now?!"

Ciela nodded, and Stern guided her over to a chair, and then took off running. Ciela heard him whooping in the street, "I'm gonna be a **daddy**!!" She smiled at his enthusiasm, and then grimaced as another contraction seized her body and doubled her over in pain.

And ten hours later, a very sleepy Stern, reeking of fish guts, and an exhausted Ciela stood before the Midwife as she handed them their newborn son, cleaned of ocean salt and birth goo.

"And his name?" asked the Midwife, not particularly pleased to be up and working at four in the morning.

Stern rubbed his neck, giving Ciela a sideways glance. "We, uh, hadn't exactly—"

"Sora."

"Huh?"

"I want to name him Sora. For the sky."

Stern chewed on his lip, thinking. Finally, he smiled tiredly and said "Sora it is."

The midwife wrote the name down in the register, and left.

Stern rubbed his eyes. "Looks like no sleep tonight. Gotta get these to Market now, before sunrise. You stay here and rest with the baby… er, Sora."

"I will," she said, smiling and tucking an arm around her sleeping child.

As she drifted to sleep, lulled by the sounds of Stern preparing for a long day at Market, she looked out the window.

A bright streak of light cut across the dawn sky and caused her eyes to snap open.

A shooting star. A shooting star for the birth of her son, named to follow the wind and leave, only to return with the land and sea. A shooting star heralding the destiny of someone great.

Ciela looked at the crown necklace Stern had laid on the nightstand, and stroked Sora's wispy brown hair.

"You'll be a hero, Sora."

And then they slept.


	4. Kairi's Mother, Strand

She was one of the Castle Maids and she was dying. Strand lay on the mattress, high in the tower of the Radiant Garden castle, above the Great Crest. She was dying, and she was pregnant.

Fever clouded her blue eyes, and her auburn hair stuck to her forehead as she moaned softly, delirious. "Dearest," she sighed, body tensing in pain with another contraction and then relaxing as doctors busied themselves around her, placing cooling poultices on her body and an injection to help the birth go easier.

One doctor, really an assistant from the labs downstairs, squinted his hazel eyes as he squared his shoulders and prepared Strand for labor. He used the rough shoulder of his lab coat to itch the scar on his cheek in frustration as he put on the sterile gloves and began to go through the procedures. He knew there were midwives a-plenty in the Borough outside the Castle Postern, but there was no time to send messengers to find one. As such, he had been conscripted into birthing this wayward maid's child.

It was somewhat of a question who the father was, often gossiped about among the cooks and chamberlains. Was the father a butler? Was he one of the stable hands, or a gardener? Even more hushed voices whispered that Strand's lover may have been one of the five apprentices, or even Ansem himself. The Doctor had heard his own name among the laundry list of possible fathers, and found it laughable. He had never slept with Strand, although to call him wholly chaste would be incorrect.

It took some analysis to even find what was wrong with Strand. A quick analysis, and he found that her birthing canal was too small, and that internal hemorrhaging were very quickly killing her. He had heard about procedures where one could cut the stomach and uterus open and remove the child that way, but with the considerable internal bleeding Strand was already experiencing, he knew that it would be a bad idea.

He peeled off his examination gloves and asked for a hair tie, and then used it to pull his long hair back. He quickly itched his nose before washing his hands again and replacing the gloves. If he was honest with himself, he really did want to be downstairs in the labs to see what Xehanort and the others were up to. A door had been found recently in the castle basements, and he was eager to know what was behind it.

But there was no time for thinking about Xehanort and doors right now. Strand's contractions were coming more and more frequently, and soon he saw the crown of a baby's head emerging from in between her legs.

Well, that was fortunate. At least there wouldn't be any need to turn the baby around.

It was quite clear that Strand was in pain. She shrieked in agony as her too-small birthing canal was forced open by the child coming out. Those anguished screams and feverish eyes contrasted sharply with the shy smiles and hummed songs that he often caught glimpses of as she cleaned his quarters in the mornings, the polite bows as she left his room to clean Dilan's across the hall.

After some intense concentration on his part, and the soothing murmurs of an elderly nursemaid stroking Strand's hand, the baby girl had finally emerged into the world with a loud wail. He handed the baby to the nursemaid to clean up and immediately set to seeing what could be done about the hemorrhaging.

"Let me see her," Strand rasped, struggling to sit up and see what was happening around her.

"Oh, best not be getting up, dear, you'll make it harder for the doctor," the nurse chided, finishing with cleaning the child and setting to swaddling it tightly in the manner that all children in the Garden were until they reached 3 months of age.

"I want to see my baby," Strand demanded, voice becoming stronger. The doctor himself shook his head regretfully, there was nothing he could do, except give Strand some painkillers and hope that she died peacefully. Suddenly, a warm, strong hand clamped onto his shoulder.

"You have done your best and that is what matters," the voice reassured. He KNEW that voice, and turned to speak to its owner, awed.

"M-master Ansem," he stammered, rising to his feet. What in the name of the Falls what _Master Ansem_ doing in Strand's birthing room? Ansem nodded slowly, and inclined his head toward the door, indicating that he should leave.

"You have done well, Braig, and for that I am glad," he said with a tight, sad smile.

Braig hesitated, and then left the room.

As soon as the second assistant had left, Ansem rushed to Strands side, kneeling down to see her face.

Strand turned weakly, and smiled her shy smile. "You came," she stated.

The nurse doddered over, and placed a steadying hand on Strand's back; allowing her to sit propped up with pillows and hold her newborn baby girl. The girl's hair was redder than strands, almost wine-colored. Strand knew little about bloodlines, but she knew more than anything that she loved her child. And she also knew that she was not long for the world.

"I… I'm dying," she said softly. "I don't have much time. What will we name her?"

"I am not sure," Ansem said slowly. Charts and science and darkness and hearts were all familiar stuff to him. Babies and names were far out of his comfort zone, and he was at a complete loss.

Strand closed her eyes. "I wish I could return to my home at the seaside, where I grew up," she whispered. "I'll name her after the sea, Kairi. My grandmother was named that."

Strand's breath caught in her throat, becoming a ragged death rattle. The nurse quickly snatched the baby away, wary of the bad luck borne of leaving a baby in the room of its mother's death. Strand grasped the lapels of Ansem's jacket. "Promise me. Promise me you'll take care of her, that you'll raise her yourself. She is your child as much as mine." As the life left her body, Strand forced out one last demand for a promise, and collapsed onto the pillows, dead.

Ansem allowed himself only one tear for the death of his secret wife, and stood up. "That, my love, is a promise I cannot make," he said, voice almost inaudible. He turned to the nursemaid, wiping his tear and fighting back the rest. "See that the child is cared for. Make sure she is happy. And never tell her that I am her father."

"Yes, my lord," the nurse said subserviently, bowing and cradling the child to her bosom as if her own.

And with that, Ansem turned on his heel, left the room, and returned to his labs.


	5. Ulaya's Sorrow

Hoorah, I'm home for the summer! College is hard, so study well in High School, kids!

--

Six years old and he was all arms and legs and smiles and silver hair. Ulaya would take turns watching the boys with Ciela, and the one not babysitting would man the stall at Market. Gone were the days when Masse and Stern brought in hauls so huge that all four of them were needed. The men had hired a few older boys to help, both on the boat and at Market. Ulaya never liked it when that Zidane kid helped in the stall, but she knew others, like Locke, or perhaps even Zell (whose penchant for hot dogs often caused him to be late) were reliable.

Ciela, of course, got along with Zidane famously, and the two would regale each other with stories ever the more outrageous and fantastic. Customers sometimes even paid to hear one of their tall tales.

Today was one such day, and Ulaya sat calmly on the front porch, watching Riku and Sora play in the mud. Riku was currently rubbing mud into Sora's hair, drawing it up into huge spikes. Sora, a year younger, and thus shorter, was unable to escape and retaliate.

She turned to the miniature grill she had set up on the front porch, turning over a sea flatfin so that it roasted lightly on each side. The bowls of fruit and glasses of juice she had already set out for the children's lunch were beginning to attract flies, which she shooed away.

A loud cry of "Mommy!" brought Ulaya's attention to the boys. She sighed in exasperation, because Sora was now sitting on a flailing Riku's face.

"Time for lunch, boys!" she called, suppressing a giggle as a very grubby Sora ran towards the porch. She stopped him with a foot. "Clean up first."

"Awwww," protested Sora. "But I've never been this dirty before!"

"Wash up," Ulaya said firmly. "You too, Riku."

"But mommy…!" he whined

Ulaya pointed resolutely towards the pump on the side of the house, and without her needing to say a word, both boys obediently trudged towards it and began the long process of cleaning themselves off.

Ulaya supervised the cleansing for a moment, but movement towards the path into town caught her eye.

Strand was favoring a bloodied arm and waving the other frantically, running towards the house, screaming her name, calling for her to come quick.

"Into the house, boys," said Ulaya firmly.

Sora caught site of his father, bleeding profusely. "What happened to your arm, Daddy?" he cried, panicked.

"Into the house," Ulaya repeated. Riku was staring, eyes wide, but demeanor calm. "Watch Sora, Riku. Keep him calm."

Riku nodded with uncharacteristic maturity, understanding beyond his years that something was wrong. Ulaya bent down to hug him, then Sora. "I'll be right back, stay here, and don't leave the house." She handed them their lunches, and then latched the door behind them.

Only then did her own panic creep into her voice. "Stern… what happened?"

Stern clutched his arm. "It's Masse."

In all her life, Ulaya never ran as fast. She reached the hospital in ten minutes, and was accosted by doctors.

After putting up with pleas of "ma'am, calm down" and "ma'am, we're doing what we can," Ulaya finally lost it.

"That is my husband in there!" she shrieked, nearly mad with worry and frustration. "I have two little boys home alone who are scared and worried that their fathers are hurt and I want a straight answer NOW!"

Right as she had finished her tirade, a wizened doctor came out, pulling off a surgical apron, face set into a grim mask. The doctor that had been bandaging Stern's bloody but relatively unhurt arm looked up, furrowing his brow.

The doctor sighed, unsure of what to say. "In 40 years of medical practice," he began, straightening up and clearing his throat, "I have never seen injuries of that sort. Perhaps you could explain to me, Stern, the manner of these wounds?"

Stern swallowed hard, and looked up, eyes flicking back and forth as if he himself didn't know what had happened. He swallowed again, and a third time, before speaking. "Black fish attacked us."

The Doctor gave him a confused look. "Fish attacked you?"

"Well, they weren't really fish, they were more like… bug-fish. Big ugly things with yellow eyes and black antennae. And… and they didn't really swim, they more kinda floated on the water. They were flat, and then they weren't. One scratched up my arm, and another… we were surrounded, and our weapons didn't work and…" Stern bit back tears. "I'm sorry, Ulaya, I tried to get them off, but they just…"

The Doctor looked at Ulaya, hesitating before placing a reassuring arm on her shoulder. "We did our best. But Masse is in a coma, and all we can do is let him rest at home until he awakens."

And without warning, the usually composed, collected Ulaya sank to her knees and wailed in grief.

They brought Masse home the next day. Ciela had left the stall in Zidane's hands, and come running as soon as word reached her about the outcome of events. She had found Sora and Riku sitting calmly on the floor, playing a board game. She had done her best to inform the little boys what was going on. Sora didn't quite understand beyond "Daddy got hurt," but all Riku could do was ask if his own father was okay. Ciela didn't have answers, and therefore did not give them.

By the time Ulaya arrived home, with Stern and Masse in tow, Riku had positioned himself by the door, only a shell of the happy boy he had been less than 24 hours earlier.

"What's wrong with Dad, Mommy?" Riku asked, his six-year-old mind attempting to grasp what was happening.

"Daddy got hurt very bad," explained Ulaya, fighting to maintain composure. "He's going to be sleeping a very long time before he gets better."

"How long?"

Ulaya didn't want to answer, could not answer, refused to answer. All she could do was hope that the answer she gave was right. "Soon."

Soon turned into days, days turned into weeks, weeks into months. Ulaya dutifully bathed him, changed his bedding and clothes, cared for him. She sat by his bed, sweeping the lengthening silver hair from his eyes, which remained closed.

Sometimes, when she had left the room, she could hear Riku sneak in to tell his unconscious father about his goings-on. She also noticed that, as the days dragged on, Riku's visits grew fewer and farther-between.

She never got accustomed to the black, festering wound in Masse's chest that would not heal. Riku never knew about it. Ulaya didn't want him to. She also didn't want to think about the fact that the wound seemed to be spreading. The Doctor had already ruled out infection, and instead told her as gently as possible that poison sometimes took very long to spread.

And finally, after three months, a weak voice from Masse's room called her name softly.

She dashed in, ready to sweep her absent husband into her arms and kiss him until he was unconscious again.

Instead, Masse gripped her shoulders with strength that should not have been present in arms three-months atrophied.

"They're coming back, Ulaya," said Masse, eyes wild and voice strained. "The fish, the… monsters. I can feel them, they want me."

He drew in a ragged breath.

"They want my heart."

Almost as if on cue, the shadows came alive. Ulaya suppressed a screech, and backed away.

She watched in horror as monsters crept out of the shadows and towards Masse, who stared them down resolutely. She watched, crying out as the monsters leapt at Masse, burying him.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Riku peer in. "What's going on?" he cried out, scared.

The two of them watched, unable to say anything, as the monsters ripped something pink and glowing from Masse's chest, and vanished.

"Dad!" screamed Riku, rushing towards his father. Just as his fingers were about to close around Masse's fingers, Masse vanished entirely.

And, for the first time, with complete clarity, Riku understood the darkness that he had seen around his father. He understood that his father would never be seen again.

And he wept, long and hard, in his mother's arms.


	6. Ansem's Regret

He actually found it somewhat amusing, that a diminutive rodent-like person had shown up on the doorstep of the castle, offering advice while simultaneously seeking it himself. The mouse (?) had merely asked for advice, informing him that he had come from a far away world to learn from the man who knew more about the heart than any other being in the universe.

Ansem wished that the rumors preceding his name were as true as the small king wished. But instead of playing the humility card as he should have, he invited the king into his castle. After all, Ansem had never been off-world before, and he was sure he could learn much from the mouse king.

To his surprise, he and Mickey Mouse became fast friends, sharing ideas, stories and research with each other. Ansem told Mickey of Kingdom Hearts. Mickey told Ansem of the Keyblade. Ansem told Mickey of Heartless, of Nobodies. Mickey told Ansem about Gummi Ships. The two rulers spent long hours in the study, deep within the castle of the Radiant Garden, eating ice cream and sharing knowledge.

Soon, Mickey's easygoing, almost innocent take on the world began to rub off on Ansem. He stopped seeing things in such hard black-and-white as before, as he absorbed information from the king, becoming accustomed to the piping voice that was both child-like and wise at the same time.

It wasn't long until Ansem felt he didn't really deserve the title of "Ansem the Wise" any longer. But even when he felt discouraged, his friend, Mickey Mouse, was there to say "Aw, cheer up, Ansem. It's not always as bad as you're makin' it out to be." Instead of taking his encouragement to heart, Ansem instead hid it away, not allowing his stubborn pride to admit the king was right.

His apprentices all reacted differently to the mouse as well. Ienzo was fascinated by him, wondering how an anthropomorphic rodent could be so intelligent. He invented ways to interrupt their meetings, bringing them tea or cookies, so he could lurk in the shadows longer than he was allowed to hear secrets.

Eleaus gave the king passing interest, or even kindness, but didn't bother much beyond a simple "hello, your majesty" when Mickey arrived, often parking the Gummi ship and studying it with the young engineer Cid to build the Garden's own Gummi ship.

Even took a scientific approach. He wanted to run experiments on the king, psychological tests, anatomy examinations, even dissections. Ansem would hear nothing of it.

Dilan was not terribly interested at all. He minded his own business, and Mickey Mouse minded his own as well.

Braig was more interested in chatting him up, figuring out how he functioned, what his world was like, what he was like. Mickey rather liked Braig, even if his unkempt and scarred appearance was a little intimidating.

The only one of the apprentices that Mickey did not like in the slightest was the first apprentice. Xehanort.

Mickey got an odd vibe from Xehanort. Not necessarily a bad one, but one that made him wish he had never met the silver-haired man in the first place. Xehanort unnerved Mickey, and he had no idea why. He seemed amicable enough. He was pleasant, had good manners and a reassuring, intelligent voice. Ansem trusted him. Mickey, however, did not.

Perhaps it was the experiments going on around the door the six apprentices found in the basement.

Once Ansem got word of the experiments, Mickey didn't need to convince him that they were wrong. He already knew that they were. He ordered Xehanort to end them. Xehanort complied, but something about him still unnerved Mickey.

It seemed likely to both men that Xehanort was still conducting the experiments in secret, and had now gotten the other apprentices to join him.

Only one other person in the castle paid attention to Mickey. At first, she had shied away from him, confused at this living cartoon character in Mister Ansem's study, but her kindly Auntie had encouraged the little girl to not be afraid of the mouse.

And they became friends as well. Mickey told her stories too, and she shared with him her daily adventures in the breathless stream-of-consciousness way that six-year-olds tell stories. Every time he visited, after settling into the room Ansem had so generously declared was his, Mickey then made a stop in the library, where he was sure he'd find the little red-haired girl. She would run squealing, shouting "Mister Mickey!" and waving some trinket. He knew he was almost as tall as the girl, but even so, he'd swing her 'round and then sit her down next to him. "And how is your day today, Kairi?" he'd ask with a smile.

Ansem, scientist, leader, wise ruler and mentor, but never father, would watch as his closest friend became more of a father figure than he ever had been to his daughter.

And so it was in the Radiant Garden. A little princess with no idea of her heritage chasing birds and exploring the castle, Aunt/Nursemaid not far behind. A frequently-visiting King from a far-away world of talking buildings and humanoid animals sharing all he knew of the universe with an aging scientist, unaware, or uncaring, of the forbidden experiments conducted by six young men in the bowels of the castle.

And those forbidden experiments soon shattered everything that Ansem knew. He awoke one morning to rough, clammy hands clamped around his mouth. Stifling a cry of outrage, he saw the sneering face of Xehanort looming over him as the guards hauled him into his own study.

The once-loyal guards beat him severely, while the apprentice watched. Finally, during a lapse in the pummeling, Ansem gasped through bloody, swollen lips, "Why?"

"Because you are an old fool who has no appreciation for the pursuit of knowledge," sneered Xehanort. "I shall supplant you, replace you. You no longer exist. **I** am Ansem."

"Foolish apprentice of an even more foolish man, how wrong I was to think you were good."

Xehanort laughed, a short, haughty bark. "You were wrong to think you could change me at all. I shall find what secrets truly lie locked behind that door, behind the wall of my memory that you could not penetrate."

"Forgive me, then, my apprentice, for not seeing the darkness lurking within you."

Xehanort kicked Ansem in the face. However, unbeknownst to him, the King that he so despised and despised him in return, was hiding behind the door. Mickey Mouse ran down the corridor, knowing what he had to do. "Golly," he said to himself, searching for the room that housed what he was looking for. "I knew that Xehanort was trouble. Just didn't think it'd be so soon!"

He found the door he wanted, and went inside. "Kairi," he said, gently shaking the little girl out of slumber. "Get up, we gotta go."

"Muh… Mister Mickey?" she mumbled sleepily, rubbing her eyes. "Where're we going?"

"We gotta get you outta here. Ansem says you're a very special girl, and told me that if anythin' bad ever happened, I had to get you somewhere safe. So you gotta come with me, right now!" He began to tug at her sleeve.

"Are we gonna ride in your spaceship?" she asked, brightening, the slight trace of fear on her face vanishing.

"You bet!" he said with a laugh, even though he didn't really feel like laughing.

They took secret corridors, clinging to walls and scurrying past shadows that had somehow sprang to life. Kairi clung to Mickey, never letting go of his hand, watching in fear as shadows sprouted antenna, began to glow yellow in places, as if they had eyes.

"Mister Mickey," Kairi whimpered. "The shadows are _watching_ us."

"I know, Kairi, I know. Just stay close to me." They had made it to the hangar with the Gummi ship. "What's goin' on?" Cid, the engineer, asked, rubbing oil and soot off his forehead.

"Cid, how fast can you have the ship prepared to leave?"

"I can have 'er ready in two minutes, why? Something bad gonna happen?"

Mickey said nothing, but after a moment, replied, "It'd be best if you got off this world."

Cid whistled lowly, and then set to work firing up not only the King's Gummi, but the one he had finished only days ago with Dilan. "Better I go find Leon and the others, before things get too bad," he mumbled, running off towards the town.

Mickey bundled Kairi into the Gummi ship, and started the pre-flight checks. As soon as the meters told him he was able to leave the world, he did.

Once he and Kairi were in Interspcae, Mickey took a moment to look out the window. He saw another Gummi, Cid's, fly off. He also saw something like a small comet zip out of the world and towards the shadowy part of Interspace. What drew the most concern out of King Mickey, however, was the sudden, frightening spread of darkness all around the Radiant Garden. Even the name Radiant Garden was slowly being replaced by Hollow Bastion.

Then suddenly, without warning, Hollow Bastion exploded and flung the two gummis into the far reaches of space. Cid and his friends went careening one direction, Mickey and Kairi in the other.

The wave of Darkness had knocked Kairi unconscious. Mickey, of course, had very little time to focus on her, as he was now heavily engaged in fighting heartless ships of every kind.

He knew the ship was sustaining too much damage, and if he didn't get Kairi somewhere safe, NOW, she would die, along with himself. Mickey wasn't terribly inclined to dying, but it was better than letting someone as special as Kairi die.

He spotted a small, fairly new world, with tropical trees and beaches and a bright blue ocean, bathed in light and happiness. Darkness had not touched this world yet. Here would Kairi be safe.

Mickey quickly checked the goose egg on Kairi's head, concluded that she would recover (to what extent, he didn't know), and then set her in the escape pod. He knew the pod would burn up on entry, but that she would be unharmed and would likely wash up on the shore, where some nice people would find her and raise her.

Mickey was a very optimistic mouse. He launched the pod, sighing. "Forgive me," he said, to Kairi, to Ansem, to whoever else may have been involved in this nightmare of a day.

And far away, in a world that never actually was, a ragged man with blonde hair and sad eyes, once called wise by many, but in fact, nothing but a fool, closed his eyes and knew that his friend, the diminutive king from a world of light, had delivered Kairi safely.

"Forgive me, my daughter. I know you'll make your father proud someday." He trudged on through the city, which was illuminated by faint, otherworldly neon lights. He whispered, barely audible, "And forgive me, Strand, for failing to keep any promises."

He regretted everything, and fell into darkness and despair.


	7. Kairi

After Masse's death, the light on the Destiny Islands was a little paler.

Ciela was crippled with confusion, unable to do anything but watch Ulaya and Riku stumble around in a stupor. Her friend said very few words, but only shut the door to Masse's empty bedroom and leaned her head against the door, her mind in a far-away place.

Ciela grieved for the silver-haired little boy, who had once been so cheerful, so happy, and now only sat stock-still and silent, like his mother. He ignored Sora's cajoling, or any offers of help, comfort, food, anything from any adults. Like Ulaya, Riku was off on his own little planet, deep in thought and grief.

What concerned Ciela most of all, however, is they never turned off the lights. After about three weeks of watching the lights in their little house never go out, she asked Riku why they kept the lights on.

"Monsters live in the shadows, and they took Dad away," came his grim reply.

She watched Stern bite his lip and nod. He knew what Riku meant. The black fish. The monsters in the shadows.

And Sora. Sora tried so hard to cheer his friend up. "It's okay, Riku," he said one day, bringing an offering of juice and some candy. "We can share my dad."

The flicker of anger across Riku's face caused Sora to jump back, until Riku softened and said mournfully, "no, we can't. It doesn't work like that."

"Oh," came Sora's soft reply. Ciela didn't have the heart to explain to her five-year-old son about death and parents and what Riku was experiencing.

After the funeral, Sora and Riku sat side by side on a log, silent and unmoving. It had been three days since Riku watched his father vanish into darkness, and he hadn't told Sora. The funeral had been held, closed-casket, and the coffin had been set adrift in the waves to the north of the islands, where none fished and no one lived. It was a dead zone where all their dead were cast adrift and set ablaze, buried in the waves that had first given them life.

"Are you ever gonna cheer up, Riku?" Sora asked tentatively, unsure of how to behave around this new, sullen, quiet Riku, who did not respond. Sora kicked his legs back and forth some more, nervous. Then he brightened. "I'll be right back!" he said, scampering back toward his house a bit further from the shore.

He returned a few minutes later waving a piece of paper with crayon scribbles on it. "See, Riku?" Sora pleaded with the pure innocence of a five-year-old. "It's me, and you, and our mommies, and my dad! And then here's your dad, watching us from heaven! He'll make sure it doesn't storm when we go out on our boats and-"

Riku snatched the paper from Sora's hands and wadded it up. "My dad is NOT in heaven, stupid!" he shouted. "He got eaten by the monsters! The same ones that attacked him on the boat! They came and took his heart and now he's gone forever and he WON'T watch over our boats and he WON'T be there to greet me when I die and I WON'T ever see him again!" He shuddered and burst into tears, crying for the first time since his father had been attacked.

Sora wrapped his arms around his friend, patting him and trying to comfort him even though he really didn't know how. Riku sniveled a bit, and then Sora dug a wadded-up napkin out of his pocket, and handed it to Riku, who blew his nose with a loud honk. "Well, the monsters only took his heart, right? That means he's not really dead. He's… he's been kidnapped! Like a princess!"

Riku glared at him. "My dad is NOT some wussy princess."

"But that's what it's like! If we find those monsters and beat them, then we can save your dad!" Sora leaped up onto a rock. "We can be the best heroes in the whole world! Everyone'll sing songs about how Sora the Brave and Riku the Cool went and saved your dad from the heart-stealing monsters!" He struck a heroic pose

He ran inside, and brought Riku another picture he had drawn with the crayons he had received for Christmas. It was, of course, badly drawn after the fashion of five-year-olds, but it depicted a white-haired stick figure boy bludgeoning a black blob with a line.

"I know the monsters are scary, Riku, but you can be brave and kick their butts!" he said, smiling.

And finally, Riku gave in and smiled, for the first time in weeks. "I better practice kicking your butt first."

"Hey!" Sora protested, then laughed. And Riku laughed with him.

Seeing Riku finally take a step toward accepting Masse's death urged Ulaya to move on as well. Ciela helped her out in every way she could, taking extra babysitting duties so Ulaya could have time to herself, cooking meals for them.

It was hard, though. Stern and his family eventually became the caretakers of Ulaya and Riu, as Ulaya's income often was not enough to cover food and clothing and schooling for Riku. But they were glad to help, as it was all they could do and knew that Masse would have done the same had the tables been turned.

Stern eventually trained Zell and Zidane to help him fish, and continued to run the fishing business he had started with Masse, taking on a more deskwork-based job while the boys did the fishing. He wasn't a rich man, but he and his family, as well as his best friend's wife and son, were able to live comfortably.

And so life went on.

A few weeks later, there was a meteor shower. Sora, Riku and their parents rushed outside to watch the stars fall.

"Mom, the sky is crying!" Sora said, worried at the bad omen.

"It's the monsters," Riku said quietly, clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white.

His mother glared at him sharply. "Riku, stop."

"But mom-"

"Riku."

He lowered his head, shamed. "I believe you," Sora whispered.

Ulaya pulled Riku aside. "I don't want to hear you ever talking about that again."

"But it happened, I saw!"

Ulaya bit her lip, flushing. "You didn't. That was just a dream. Your dad died quietly in his sleep, and he's in heaven, watching over the islands now. There were no monsters. Can you be a big boy and accept the truth?"

Riku nodded, confused and upset. He KNEW he had seen monsters… right?

A shout from Sora snapped him out of his troubles. He ran over to where the younger boy was dancing in an anxious circle and pointing. "Look! Look! It's a really, really big star!"

They watched the star fall some more, until Stern yelled, "That's not a star, that's a person!" He then ran toward the ocean, prepared to dive into the waves and rescue the human that was moments away from splashing into the water.

There was a loud crack, and a small tidal wave as the small human made contact with the water. Stern swam for his life, making it just in time before the unconscious figure sank below the waves. He struggled to pull the child onto the shore, and once he had reached dry land, collapsed onto the beach panting.

Ciela immediately took the small person into her arms. "It's a little girl!" she shouted, amazed and shocked. Sora and Riku crowded around her to see the newcomer. She was petite, with dark red hair and a white dress. She was also sporting a rather nasty looking bruise above her left eye.

"Poor thing must've hit her head," Ulaya murmured, maternal instinct kicking in. Ciela brushed a strand of the wine-colored hair out of the girl's face. She coughed, then stirred, and whimpered before opening her eyes and looking around in fright.

"Where am I?" she cried, showing that her front teeth were missing (Ciela hoped it was because she was about five years old and not because she was malnourished or abused). "Where's Mr. Mickey? Where…"

Ciela cradled the scared little girl gently. "Shh, it's okay. You're safe here. What's your name?

The girl sniffled, then said "Kairi."

"Okay, Kairi. Where are you from?"

"I'm… I… I don't know. It was a big, big house with lots of people. Then bad men came, and… and I don't remember. Where am I?"

"You fell from the sky!" Sora shouted, unable to contain his excitement any longer. "You were all shiny like a great big star, or a… a… "

"A comet!" Riku added, nodding and wide-eyed.

Kairi leaned around Ciela to see the two boys, who looked like they were about to explode.

"Oh, right. Kairi, this is Sora, and this is Riku," Ulaya said, gesturing toward the two boys. "They're probably about your age…

"I'm this many!" Sora shouted with pride, holding up one hand, all five fingers splayed.

"And I'm six," Riku said in such a way that Sora gave him a dirty look.

Kairi giggled. "I'm five too."

Sora frowned. "You don't have cooties, do you?"

Riku bopped him on the head. "Girls don't' have cooties, silly."

Stern, finally recovered from his furious swim, sat up. "Well, Kairi, I have no idea how to get you home, and since it's kind of late, why don't you stay with us tonight? We can find someone who can take care of you until we can find your real home tomorrow."

Kairi nodded, and then yawned before instantly falling asleep in Ciela's arms.

"She must've had a rough day," Ulaya said sympathetically.

The two families trudged back to their houses, next to each other, Kairi cradled against Ciela. "Can she sleep with me?" Sora asked excitedly.

Riku and Ulaya watched Stern's family retreat into the house, and Ulaya turned again to Riku. "I know it's hard, darling, and I miss him too. We'll get through this."

Riku hugged his mother, and nodded. "I know. We'll be okay."

And in the night, one star blinked out.


End file.
